


With You Unto Dawn: Aftermath

by FalconInFlight35



Category: OneShot (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, POV First Person, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27898411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FalconInFlight35/pseuds/FalconInFlight35
Summary: It's a new home. A new life. A collection of one-shots following after the events of With You Unto Dawn.
Relationships: Niko & The Player (OneShot - Video Game)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 27





	1. A New Kind of Normal

**Author's Note:**

> After taking a month to relax (and to finish up classes), here is the beginning of a collection of one-shots taking place after the events of With You Unto Dawn!  
> Chapters will possibly be a bit shorter than the main story and updates will come when I have an idea that I like. I've already got two other ideas after this one to plan out, but just like WYUD, chapters will come when they are ready.
> 
> And if you haven't already, it's strongly recommended to read WYUD first before reading these one-shots.
> 
> I'm also in the outline phase of my next big story, though it won't be OneShot related. I'll be working on that as well as these one-shots so I've got my hands pretty full for this month so keep your eyes open.
> 
> As always, reviews are always appreciated and don't forget to leave kudos if you enjoyed reading. Enjoy!

[ _**Main Theme: Children of the Sun - Poets of the Fall** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvDXuA4CgGY)

* * *

My eyes opened to see the ceiling of the guest room. Confused, I looked over at the nearby alarm clock that sat atop the bedside dresser.

5:42 AM.

"Again, huh...?" I sighed and sat up while I rubbed my eyes. This was the fifth time I had woken up either super early or, if I was unfortunate enough, in the middle of the night. Knowing I wasn't going to be able to fall back to sleep, I threw off the covers and got dressed. While I did so, my gaze drifted over to the calendar that hung over the desk close by.

It's been two weeks since Niko and I came back from the World Machine. Two weeks since I left my own world. I silently creeped out of my room so as to not accidentally wake anybody up, but I stopped outside Niko's room and peeked through the door to check on her.

She was curled up on her bed with her hat hanging off one of the bedposts, sleeping soundly while her arms were wrapped around her owl plush. "Mr. Banana Bread", as she so eloquently called him, was buried underneath the weight of the child that I was certain that if he were real, he'd be suffocating right now. On the far side of the room, I could see her crayon drawings of the people we had met back in the World Machine. Silver, Calamus, Alula, Maize, Plight, Ling, Rue, Proto, Cedric...

It was nice to see that we wouldn't forget about them anytime soon.

I made my down the hallway, passed through the living room, and made my way into the kitchen. Before, I never really had the opportunity to try coffee. Now, it's fair to say that I can hardly wake up without it. While I waited for the kettle to heat up, I looked out the window. The sun hadn't risen past the horizon, but the sky was beginning to brighten with reds and yellows as the moon said its goodbye. There were also some other people that were leaving their houses; early risers to get ahead on work they had to do for today.

I frowned. I knew I couldn't just sit around and do nothing all the time, but I was so used to being on the move that I had no clue how to hold a job or even knowing what I would be good at. There was so much to figure out now and none of it was familiar to me.

The kettle whistled. I grabbed an empty cup and some cream and poured myself a nice steaming cup of coffee. I held the cup up to my nose, letting the smell work its way through me while I went out onto the porch and sat down on the steps. The air was still chilly but the warmth provided by the coffee was enough to help me ignore it.

"Up early again, Alan?"

I looked over my shoulder to see Dahlia standing in the doorway. She was back in her usual outfit while her hair was out of the ponytail and draped over her shoulder and back, exposing her cat-like ears to the chilly morning air.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

She shook her head, "I usually get up around this time." Her smile fell, "Had trouble sleeping again?"

I shrugged, "Not really."

She walked over and sat down next to me, "Well, I'm not going to act like something isn't wrong."

I sighed, "It's just a bad habit that I'm still trying to deal with."

"A bad habit?"

"Yeah..."

We sat in silence for a bit. The soft wind washed over us, disturbing the peace of the wheat field that surrounded the village as the horizon continued to brighten.

"...Do you want to talk about it?"

I glanced over at her. Her eyes, illuminated with golden light just like Niko's, had darkened slightly. Yet another thing that I wasn't used to having: someone to listen.

"I guess...I'm still not used to this world just yet."

"What do you mean?"

My eyes fell to my coffee, "...When I was still in my world, I always forced myself to sleep lightly so that in the event that someone ended up finding me, I could be ready to make a getaway." I chuckled solemnly, "I don't have to do that anymore, but I guess old habits die hard."

I took a drink, feeling my body finally start waking up, before I heard Dahlia speak again.

"What was it like, if you don't mind me asking?"

Memories of curling up in a dark corner, trying to sleep under the pelting of rain, and bolting out of the city once the sun came up flashed through my mind.

"...Lonely."

I flinched slightly when I felt her hand fall onto my shoulder. I turned to her to see her smiling at me.

"You won't have to worry about that anymore. You know that, right?"

I smiled, "...Yeah, I do. It's just something I still need to get used to."

She let go and we fell back into a peaceful silence as the first rays of light started to shine past the horizon. I took another drink and glanced over at her again, "...I know I said this already, but...thank you for letting me stay here."

"You're welcome. Niko would probably raise a fuss if I didn't let you," she giggled.

"That she would."

"...What would I do?"

Dahlia and I looked back to see Niko standing in the doorway, rubbing her eyes as she struggled to open them while holding onto her plush.

My smile grew, "Mornin' Niko."

"Mmm...good morning..."

"Did we wake you up, honey?" Dahlia asked.

"...Kinda," she mumbled as she sat down next to me and rested her head against my arm, prompting me to wrap it around her, "You woke up early again, Alan."

"I know."

"Are you alright?"

"I am now."

One of her eyes peeked open as she smiled before closing it, "Good."

I ran a hand through her hair as she melted into my side. I chuckled. Even if I wasn't quite used to this world yet, I could easily get used to this.

"Oh, before I forget, I did have some errands today I was hoping you could run for me, Alan," Dahlia said.

"What do you need?"

"Nothing much. I'll tell you over breakfast. Speaking of which..."

"Pancakes!" Niko beamed as she bolted up, now completely awake at the prospect of Dahlia's hazelnut pancakes.

Dahlia laughed, "I'll get started on those right away." She stood up, flashing me one last smile before heading back inside.

I peered down at Niko, "Well, nice to see you fully awake now."

Niko blushed, "I can't help it when it's Mama's pancakes."

"Does this mean I can bribe you with pancakes at any time?"

"Maaayybe..."

We both burst into giggles. Once we calmed down, we stayed with each other as we watched the sunrise. Its rays illuminated the wheat, shining its golden colors through the fields until it morphed into a sea of yellows, reds, and oranges.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Niko asked.

"Well, there's the errands your mom has for me. Want to help me out with those?"

"Yeah!"

I smiled and wrapped her in a one-arm hug, "I knew you'd say that."

She returned the hug with fervor before bouncing to her feet, "C'mon, those pancakes aren't gonna eat themselves!"

"Right behind you," I chuckled.

I started to follow Niko back inside, but not before taking one last look at the sunrise over my shoulder. Dawn never felt so refreshing to see and I'm glad I could savor it now.

My new life starts now.


	2. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey is over. The world was saved. But it’s hard to forget what you’ve gone through so easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention in the first one-shot that POV isn't going to be exclusive to Alan, but will include Niko as well, with this chapter being the first like it. It's different than what we're used to, but I figured it'd be perfect for Aftermath. In case you're worried about it being confusing, know that chapters won't have POV changes in the middle of them, so it'll either be all Alan or all Niko and I'll be sure to make it obvious who's POV it is.
> 
> Anyways, comments are always appreciated, and don't forget to leave kudos if you enjoyed reading!

It's dark.

"H-Hello?"

My voice echoed around me, but I still couldn't see anything. Where was everything? Where was Alan? Where was the sun? I stopped. The...sun? Why would I…?

" _[Niko is upset.]"_

I jumped at the sound of a voice appearing out of nowhere. I recognized it. It was...The World Machine. Why was it back? I thought we already saved everyone.

I blinked and I could finally see something up ahead. My whole body was shaking as I slowly made my way towards it. Something about all of this was wrong, but I just didn't know what.

" _[Get the boy and child out of here N̴̥̄Ȯ̶͇W̶̮̽!̵͕͛]"_

Another voice rang out. I knew this voice too. When I finally reached whatever was ahead, I gasped. Underneath a pile of rocks and rubble was...the body of a robot with red hair covered in familiar purple squares.

"S-Silver…?"

No...no, this wasn't right. We...we saved them. What was happening? Where was I?

I blinked and Silver vanished, replaced by something further up ahead. I didn't want to go there, but my body moved on its own, pushing me forward against my will.

" _Calamus!_ _ **Ḩ̶͌ẹ̸̇ḷ̵͛p̵͓̽!̶̞̎**_ _"_

" _Alula! No!"_

When I finally stopped moving, Calamus and Alula's bodies were slumped in front of me, once again covered in squares. This was really starting to freak me out. Why was this happening?

Another blink and the siblings were gone and I began to move forward again. More and more voices started to grow louder as I continued to speed up through the darkness.

" _I can hear them outside the door!"_

" _S...savior..."_

" _I WANNA GO BACK HOME!"_

" _Messiah, we're so sorry..."_

Tears were starting to fall down my face. The voices were still getting louder even as shut my eyes and tried to cover my ears. Stop, please...just make it stop…

" _You need...to get a-away from me, Niko…"_

I gasped as one voice broke through all the rest, silencing them. My eyes flew open to see another body curled around itself, trembling.

" _Why am I even h-here? All I've d-done is hurt you..."_

I felt myself get closer and closer to it. The boy's trembling was getting worse and worse the closer I got.

" _I'm just a monster."_

No...I knew who this was...

"Alan…?"

His trembling stopped as soon as my hand reached his shoulder. Slowly, I walked around him and froze when I saw his face. His blue eyes were gone, faded into a dark grey. They were...empty.

" _I'm sorry, Niko…"_

Just then, a screech rang out around us and I watched in horror as squares started appearing all over Alan's body.

"No...no! Alan!"

I kept trying to reach out to him, to pull him away from the squares, but my body just...wouldn't move. I kept being pulled away from him.

"Alan! ALAN!"

The squares were swarming over him. He only stared back at me with those cold, grey eyes. I could feel tears start to run down my face as I continued to struggle. Why was this happening?! This wasn't real! This wasn't...it couldn't be! Alan...Alan…!

In a split second, the squares shot out from him and raced towards me. I barely had time to scream before they engulfed me and everything became dark again.

"Ah...!"

My body jolted awake, wrenching me away from the squares and placing me back in the safety of my room. I shot up and looked around my room. Nothing was out of place. The drawings of the people Alan and I had met were still up on my wall. I took a minute to try and calm myself down, but the nightmare still haunted me. I grabbed onto Mr. Banana Bread and hopped out of bed.

Quietly, I opened my door and looked around the dark hallway. My fear of the dark was coming back in full force and wished I had the sun in my arms again. Swallowing my fear, I creeped out of my room and made my way towards the guest room, keeping a grip on my plush and constantly shooting glances over my shoulder in fear of seeing those squares again.

I pushed open the door and peeked inside. The room was just as dark as the rest of the house, but knowing who was sleeping here already made me feel safer than my room. Inch by inch, I drew closer to the bedside and leaned closer to the person sleeping there.

"...Alan?" I whispered.

No response. I lifted one of my trembling hands and softly shook his arm, "Alan?"

His breathing became louder and the blankets rustled from his movement. I waited as he sat up, rubbing his eyes and brushing his hands against the white shirt he wore when he slept before he finally looked at me. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw his eyes were back to their normal blue color instead of...what they were just a few minutes ago. He yawned, "...Niko? What are you doing up?"

I shifted on my feet and looked away from him, "I...had a bad dream." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his face morph into concern. I took a deep breath and looked back at him, "Could I...stay with you tonight? Please?"

His eyes scanned over my face before he scooted over and pulled back the covers with a soft smile, "...Of course."

I managed to return the smile with my own as I climbed into the bed. I took a second to set aside Mr. Banana Bread before wrapping my arms around Alan. He turned over on his side and kept his eyes on me even as he ran a hand through my hair. I buried my face in his chest to stop myself from crying.

"Hey…" I heard him whisper, "It's alright now. It was just a dream."

My hands tightened, "I-I know...but…"

I could feel myself start to tremble again as the nightmare continued to play over and over in my mind.

"It's okay. Just let it out."

At that, I couldn't stop myself from bawling into his shirt. We stayed that way, letting me cry while Alan held me tight against him. Eventually, my tears faded away, replaced only by our breathing.

"...Better?"

"A little bit..." I replied.

I looked up at him to see him still gazing down at me with concern, "Can...I ask what it was about?"

I fell silent, still scared of what I went through, but...it would be better to tell him. I knew he would listen.

"I..." I started, "I think...I was back in the World Machine and...I saw...I saw..."

Alan's hold on me tightened, "It's alright. Take your time."

I forced myself to calm down before I kept going, "I saw the people we met, like the robot lady and Calamus and Alula, c-covered in...squares."

"Oh..."

"And then...I started hearing more people before..." I looked up at him, still making sure his eyes hadn't changed, "...until I saw you."

His eyes widened, but he let me continue.

"You were...like how you were after we thought Cedric and Proto had..." I faltered, "...and...the squares...they started to..."

"It's alright," Alan stopped me, "You don't have to say anymore."

My eyes started to sting again, "...I was really scared, Alan. I thought you were..."

He pulled me closer to him, resting my head just above his heart and letting me listen to it beat. The sound of it coupled with his hand running through my hair calmed me down immensely.

"It's alright, Niko. I'm still here. I'll keep you safe."

After a while, the nightmare faded out of my mind and I felt my eyes start to fall shut again.

"Hey, Alan?"

"Yeah?"

"...I love you."

"...I love you too, Niko."

I smiled and let myself fall back to sleep, knowing I wouldn't have another nightmare tonight.


	3. Familiar Traditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a first for everything, especially when it involves a jolly holiday from another world.

"So, you'll do it?"

The glassblower shrugged and smiled, "It's a strange request, but it seems simple enough, and given your reasons, I don't think I can turn it down."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I was lucky enough that Niko's world was similar to mine and actually had a glassblower. Knowing he was so willing to do this for me took a weight off my shoulders.

"Though I know the 'who', would I be able to know the 'why'?

I flinched at that and scratched my head sheepishly, "It's, uh...a secret gift for them." I didn't say any more than that. I wasn't sure if he would know what I was talking about, so I didn't want to accidentally let that slip and make people think I was crazy.

He chuckled, "Fair enough. It's nice to see you making that effort for them."

"Well, they've done so much for me already. I figured I should at least do something for them. They're worth it," I grinned back and handed over his payment, "Anyways, thank you so much for doing this, Mr. Holt."

"It's no problem, Alan. I should have these ready by tomorrow." He then waved me away, "Now off you go! I got work to do!"

I laughed and waved goodbye before leaving his shop. The town square was a lot busier than usual and I waved to the people that passed by. Most of the people here were starting to get used to seeing me around as well as knowing my relationship with Niko and Dahlia. They didn't know about the whole "being from another world", but they didn't need to. We just left that part out. As I continued around the square, I reminded myself of what the date would be back in my world.

December 23rd.

I let a small smile creep onto my face. Christmas was never something I had the opportunity to participate in. The whole "being on the run" schtick made that a bit difficult for me. Now, with that not being the case anymore, I figured who better to spend it with than my new family, my real family.

I pulled out the list I had written for myself this morning before I left on my "errands" as I told the two of them. Niko wanted to come along, but it would ruin the surprise if she ended up asking too many questions, so I told her otherwise, much to her disappointment. Stopping by Mr. Holt's was the most important stop since he would take care of the biggest gifts that I had planned for them. Now, it was just a matter of finding everything else.

I stopped by one of the stores nearby and picked up a pack of new crayons for Niko. I knew how much she liked to draw, so I figured she would appreciate a new set. I also picked up a new toque for Dahlia since her current one was starting to breakdown as well as a nice new mug for her to use. I kept exploring all the other stores, trying to find gifts that I thought would be really good, but it was only after leaving the fourth store that I finally realized something.

Finding Christmas gifts was hard.

The times I had seen people celebrating the holiday in my world, it always seemed so easy, but I really had no idea, huh? I groaned but shrugged off the anxiety I felt. This was important to me and, many presents or not, I wanted it to be special. Both for them and for me. I took a deep breath and marched on.

* * *

Okay, I take it back. Finding gifts is easy. WRAPPING them is another story entirely.

"C'mon, you little..." I grumbled and as I tried shaking off a piece of tape that had stuck to my finger.

The amalgamated attempt of a wrapped box sat in front of me on my bed with bits and pieces of wrapping paper around the room. I had to be really discreet in smuggling everything I needed into the house after yesterday's shopping spree and only once the two had gone on their own errands did I use that time to get my gifts for them prepared. Stopping by Mr. Holt's took care of getting the most important gifts and I made sure to wrap those first. However, the first one took nearly an hour to wrap while the other still sat in its box, waiting to be covered in green and red wrapping paper.

"It always looked so easy, but I didn't realize I had to be a freaking scientist to be able to put paper around a stinking box..." I continued to grumble as I started again on the box.

After what felt like another hour of trying and failing, I breathed a sigh of relief as the box was now wrapped, complete with a bow on top. I rubbed my head, hoping to get rid of the headache that had formed from the endeavor.

I froze in fear when I heard the front door open and a familiar child's voice call out.

"Alan! We're home!"

My head whipped around to my bedroom door and back to the two boxes and several piles of ripped wrapping paper and tape strewn about my room.

"Uh oh."

I could hear footsteps getting closer and closer to my door. Moving as if my life depended on it, I scooped up all the wrapping paper, tape, and my gifts and shoved them all under the bed, making sure it was out of sight. Just to be safe, I pulled the blankets further over the edge, creating a wall between them and any wandering eyes.

I was able to crash onto my bed before the door opened and Niko peaked her head in. I did my best to act calm and flashed her a smile as she skipped up to my bedside, "Hey, Niko. How'd your errands go?"

"Good! I would've liked it if you came with us though," she said, frowning for a split second.

I scratched my head, "Ah, I did too, but all that running around I did yesterday must've caught up to me. Figured it was better to take it easy for today."

She tilted her head, "You never mentioned what you were doing yesterday."

My heart skipped a beat. Thinking fast, I said the first thing that came to mind, "Well, I wanted to explore a little more, get used to everything. Plus it'll help other people get used to seeing me around, y'know?"

Niko stared at me. Slowly, her eyes narrowed as a smirk crept onto her face. The sight of it sent a small shiver down my spine.

"...You're planning something, aren't you?"

"What?! No, 'course not!" I blurted out a bit too quickly for her, causing her smirk to grow even more, "I-I mean, you know I'm not really the planning type..."

"Uh-huh..."

This was going downhill fast. Fortunately, Dahlia's head peeked through the doorway just in time to save me from Niko's interrogation.

"Alan? Niko? Could I have some help unloading these groceries?"

Niko lingered on me for one more second before turning to her, "Coming, Mama!"

I silently sighed in relief and smiled at her, "Will do, ma'am."

As Niko and I left the room, I stole one glance at the bed. Tomorrow was gonna be great, I was sure of it.

* * *

As my alarm sounded out next to me, my eyes flew open and a grin spread across my face.

Today was the day. Now to put my plan into action before the two woke up.

I turned the alarm off, threw off the blankets, and kneeled down to pull my wrapped presents out from under the bed. Despite the shoddy wrapping, I felt myself swell with pride looking at the boxes. I brought out the rest of the gifts I had for them and quietly left my room. I spared a quick glance into Niko's room to see her sleeping soundly in her bed before continuing into the living room.

I clicked on a nearby lamp and began arranging the gifts onto the coffee table. I stationed the smaller gifts around the wrapped boxes, placing each with their corresponding recipient. I must have arranged them for a while because by the time I looked over at the nearby clock it was already close to being 8:00.

With one last check of my gifts, I let out the breath I was holding. Now all that was left to do was wait.

Today was the equivalent of Saturday, so I figured both Niko and Dahlia would sleep in, but I had to be ready once they did wake up. The only downside to waiting was my thoughts now shifting my anxiety into overdrive. Would they think what I did was weird? No, Niko would easily be thrilled about what I was trying to do for them. Plus, the thought of getting a gift from me would easily make her happy. Would they like their gifts? I was completely inexperienced in gift-giving, so that thought constantly nagged at me, even among the peacefulness of the early morning.

I was so caught up with my thoughts that I didn't hear the footsteps come up behind me.

"Alan? You're up early again..."

"Gah!" I jumped out of my skin, accidentally knocking over one of Niko's pack of crayons, and whipped around to see Dahlia standing a few feet behind me. She was watching me with concern before her eyes looked beyond me to see the gifts on the table. Her eyes widened and a smile appeared as she looked back at me.

"Well, it looks like I finally know why you were so busy these past couple of days."

"Eh heh...yeah..." I felt my face heat up and I was about to say more before a yawn stopped me. Niko walked into the living room holding onto her owl plush and rubbing her eyes.

"Mmm...morning."

"Niko, Alan has something for us," Dahlia told her, motioning to the wrapped boxes behind me.

Niko's eyes finally cracked open, taking a moment to process the gifts on the table, before her eyes also widened. I took this moment to clear my throat and move on with my plan.

"I, uh..." I started to say, "There's a...'tradition'...back in my world called Christmas where you would give gifts to your friends and family. It was originally a religious holiday, but that ended up being kinda...forgotten about." I stepped to the side to fully show off the gifts I had gotten them.

Niko grinned, "I knew you were planning something!"

"Oh, Alan...you didn't need to do all of this," Dahlia said.

I rubbed my arm, "Well, maybe not 'need' to, but I wanted to. I never really had anyone to...celebrate the holiday with before and you two have already done...so much for me." I looked between the two of them, "I felt like this was the best way to show my thanks."

Dahlia looked surprised while Niko rushed up to the table, "You mean these are for both of us?!"

"Yep."

Niko fawned over her new pack of crayons while Dahlia thanked me for the new mug and held up the toque I got for her. She smiled at me, "I definitely needed a new one. The one I have now was starting to fall apart."

"That's why I got it," I grinned back.

She set it down and picked up the wrapped box. I felt my heart pound against my chest as she sat down in a nearby chair and glanced over at me. I nodded, giving her the go-ahead to unwrap it. Thanks to my handiwork, it took her a bit to finally tear off the paper revealing the box. I watched with bated breath as she opened it and gasped. Her eyes met mine and all I could do was continue to smile at her as she pulled out what I was so excited to give her.

Sitting in her hands was a replica of her house with bits of white "snow" resting around it. She gave it a shake and the snow started to swirl around it.

"I had the idea when I saw some other snow globes in one of the stores. I asked Mr. Holt to make them for me and he was kind enough to do so," I explained.

Dahlia's eyes had misted over when she finally looked up from my gift, "Thank you, Alan. This means a lot to me."

I smiled sheepishly, "It's the least I could do for you, ma'am."

"You know, you don't have to call me 'ma'am'. I'm fine with you calling me by my name," she huffed playfully.

"I'll...work on that...ma'am."

I looked over at Niko who was holding onto her box with fervor. I chuckled and gave her the go-ahead. My heart began to pound much harder this time as Niko opened her box. She blinked, glancing up at me wide-eyed, before reaching in and pulling out another snow globe. The difference with this one is that instead of her house, it was something much more special to her and to me.

It was the lightbulb she had once carried, surrounded by black clovers.

Niko's gaze was locked onto the globe in what looked to be shock and awe. For a second, I was worried that I had broken her before she locked eyes with me. All I did was smile softly. There wasn't anything that needed to be said. Slowly, tears began to pool in her eyes as she set the globe on the table and ran into my outstretched arms.

"Th-thank you, Alan..." she sniffled, "It's p-perfect..."

I tightened my hold on her, "I knew you'd like it."

She giggled through her tears as Dahlia wrapped her arms around us. I smiled, happy that my plan succeeded.

"Merry Christmas, you two."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are always appreciated, and don't forget to leave kudos if you enjoyed reading!
> 
> Merry Christmas to you all! Let's hope this next year is a better one, yeah?


	4. Illness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment of vulnerability may be difficult to face, but it serves as a reminder of those we hold close to us - our family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for disappearing for a month without warning. I've been busy this past month with moving back onto campus and getting back into the swing of classes along with the beginning of my new story "Your Distant Light", to which I have already posted the first three chapters and am currently working on the fourth chapter. Rest assured though, I have not forgotten about Aftermath! Thinking of ideas to write about just takes time and I'm very picky about what I want to write.
> 
> In any case, I'm still here and I hope you enjoy this chapter! As always, reviews are appreciated, and don't forget to leave a favorite/follow if you enjoyed reading!

It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining brightly over the waves of wheat that surrounded the village. There wasn't even a single cloud in the sky. It was the perfect day.

Yet, here I was. Confined to my bed as my whole body felt like it was on fire.

"This...sucks." I coughed out.

"Don't talk too much," Dahlia said. "I won't be able to see what your temperature is otherwise."

I could only groan in response as she placed the thermometer under my tongue. A couple seconds passed before she took it and looked it over. It didn't help to see her visibly grimace.

"You definitely are sick. Even without looking at the thermometer, I can feel how hot you are."

"Fantastic..."

She frowned, "I'm sorry, Alan."

"It's not your fault, ma'am. At least I can cross 'getting sick in another world' off my bucket list," I chuckled before getting cut off by another cough.

"At least your sense of humor is still intact," Dahlia smiled.

The door opened and Niko walked in. Her eyes darkened as she took sight of me on the bed, buried under the blankets.

I coughed again before smiling at her, "Hey Niko..."

"Hey..." she responded, moving closer and hopping up onto the bed. She frowned, "So, you're really, really sick?"

I nodded weakly, "Sorry...I know you were looking forward to today."

"Don't worry dear," Dahlia spoke up. "It looks to be just a cold that's hitting him hard. He'll get better with some rest."

Niko glanced between me and Dahlia, "Can...can I do anything to help?"

"Some tea sounds nice..." I rasped out.

Niko jumped off the bed and onto her feet, "I'll get right on it! I'll make sure you get better in no time!"

I couldn't help but smile as Niko skipped out of the room, only to be taken over by another cough. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she likes me a lot."

I heard a soft chuckle come from Dahlia before the room fell silent. I glanced over at her and stopped when I saw her eyes lock with mine. A swirl of emotions flittered about her face.

"Ma'am?"

She blinked and quickly shook her head, "I'm sorry. I was just wondering when the last time you got sick was."

"Hmm..." I hummed. "It's been a while, I'd say. Definitely before I met Niko."

"How long did you say you were by yourself?"

"...Eight months. Why?"

"You must've gotten sick more than once."

I frowned, "...Sure I did, but I got through it just fine. Took better care of myself than my old family ever did, at least."

I saw her wince out of the corner of my eye. I sighed, "Sorry, it's not something I like to think about, but I just get so...angry when I do."

"Were...they really that bad?" Dahlia asked.

I huffed, "If throwing a bottle of pills at me and forcing me to still work even though I could barely stand on my feet counts, then yeah. They were bad." I chuckled darkly. "It was even worse when my two brothers stole the pills and I had to track them down without getting caught."

The room fell silent again. My cold continued to work its way through my body, but the very thought of my past family made me forget about it. It was anger, not my fever, that now pounded against my head like a hammer against a nail.

"It's alright to be upset about it, Alan," Dahlia said.

I glanced over at her. I was expecting her to be put off by my outburst, but instead, all I saw was a tenderness that still felt foreign to me.

"What's there to be upset about?" I huffed, "I've been able to take care of myself since I ran away after all."

"Alan..."

"I didn't even need them to teach me anything. I taught myself everything I needed to know: how to read, write, count..."

"Alan-"

"I taught myself how to survive on my own. 'Course, I never really had a choice since my real parents dropped me off at the doorstep of an orphanage without so much as a 'goodbye', but I didn't need them either."

"..."

"And despite all that, I'm still here, and I've learned more about how to love someone from you and Niko than they ever could because there isn't a single thing they could teach me about how to love my family!"

Silence filled the room like a blanket of fog. All that could be heard was the sound of tea being brewed in the kitchen, but it was nothing compared to the tightness in my chest. The heartache that I thought I had buried and left behind rose up out of its grave and there was little I could do to stem the tide of tears that fell down my face as I looked up at Dahlia.

"...Why didn't they want me?"

Dahlia said nothing. Instead, she wrapped her arms tightly around me. I tried to pull away to stop her from potentially getting sick, but she refused to budge. Slowly, I relaxed and buried my face into her shoulder as my sobs quietly filled the room.

"It's okay, Alan...It's okay now..." Dahlia whispered into my ear.

She repeated that over and over, letting me release my stress that I didn't even know I still had. It was cathartic, to say the least.

"I'm sorry..." I whimpered.

She shushed me, "You have nothing to be sorry about." She leaned back to look me in the eye. "I know there's no way for me to comprehend what you've been through, but I know just from you being here that you are so much stronger than you think."

I breathed out a laugh, gaining a smile from Dahlia.

"And despite what you may think about yourself, you are part of this family and I know Niko sees you the same way. You're not alone anymore."

I wiped away the last of my tears and smiled at her, "Thank you...I really needed to hear that."

Knocking came from the door just then and Niko walked in, balancing three cups of tea on a plate.

"I have the tea!"

I took the cup she offered to me and smiled, "Thanks, Niko. I can always count on you."

She giggled as she drank out of her own cup. Dahlia grabbed the last cup and stood up, "I have some chores to take care of, so I'll leave you two here. Just be sure to get some rest, Alan."

"I will. Thanks, mom-"

I paused in my drinking as my heart skipped a beat. My eyes stayed glued to the cup in front of me while my face became hotter than I had ever felt it. Slowly, I looked up. Niko's mouth hung open with a mix of shock and glee while Dahlia's eyes had widened immensely.

"U-Um..." I coughed as I looked away from both of them. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to say that."

"I don't mind, Alan."

I snapped my head up to Dahlia, "Y-You don't...?"

She grinned and her eyes seemed to shine brighter than I had ever seen them. Even the room started to feel warmer by her presence alone.

"If I'm being honest..." Dahlia said as she opened the door and taking a glance back at me, "I prefer it over 'ma'am'."

Before I had a chance to respond, she left the room. I blinked and glanced over at Niko. She seemed preoccupied with drinking her tea, but the smug grin on her face said otherwise.

"So..." Niko said.

My face began to heat up again, "Don't say anything about this, please."

One of her eyes cracked open, "Does this mean you're gonna keep calling her that?"

I heaved a sigh, "...I'm gonna take a nap now and not wake up for a while."

Niko laughed as I set the cup down on the bedside table. I wasn't sure if the heat was still coming from the fever or my own embarrassment, but I didn't care as I planted my face into my pillow to block out anymore ridicule that Niko had ready for me over my slip of the tongue.

Although, I was happy that Dahlia was okay with it. It was nice to finally have someone like that in my life; to have a family.


End file.
